Gluten-free Molasses Cookies

My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is to bake, try and lucky for me, ampoule it’s a dreary day here in good ole Colorado. Earlier today, I ran across one of my great grandmother’s recipes for Molasses Cookies, which surprisingly, I’d never tried before.

You see, I have a penchant for spices. Well, actually, it is more of an obsession. I’m always trying to find new ways to sneak in a little spice to anything I make, so molasses cookies with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg seemed like a perfect treat for a gray-cloud-ridden day.

I thought instead of creating an exact replica of my great grandmother’s recipe, I would try to make them gluten free (gotta love a challenge!) and a little spicier (of course!). These cookies are incredibly moist (almost cake-like), a little spicy and not very sweet.

I should warn you that you might find yourself eating these by the handful because of the mildly-sweet-almost-savory flavor… Oh, go ahead and think they’re guilt free! I also should warn you that this recipe makes about five-dozen cookies. If you’d like, you can freeze the dough after it has been mixed up – then you’ll be all set for the next rainy day!

Gluten-free Molasses Cookies

4 cups gluten-free flour of your choice

2 teaspoons baking soda (mixed with 2 teaspoons water)

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cardamom

A hint of black pepper

1 ½ cups molasses

½ cup dark honey, such as avocado, blueberry or buckwheat

1 cup vegetable shortening

2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl; set aside. (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour mix for this recipe.)

Blend the molasses, honey, shortening and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer. The mixture will look a little curdled at this point. (I used dark molasses and lightened up the taste with a little blueberry honey.)

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, being careful to blend thoroughly, but not overwork the dough. The dough will be very sticky.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spoon out the dough into 1 ½-inch blobs, (for lack of a better term).

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies have a nice sheen (from the honey caramelizing) to them and they resist a bit when given a light tap. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

TIP: Because of the honey and molasses, these cookies are very moist and could stick to each other a bit if not cooled completely before packing in storage containers. You might want to put parchment paper between the layers of cookies when you store them.

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About Emily

Hi, I’m Emily – a PR professional by day, a freelance writer and editor by night and, well, a food blogger/mad scientist in my kitchen every other waking minute. Thanks so much for visiting my site!
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